| Council Election delays 2026 21:28 - Jan 22 with 2494 views | Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
With how much TWTD partakes in political chat and democracy this side of the pond, I'd love to get some thoughts on this one in the UK. Surprised it has not been discussed. Maybe I missed it though.
From the BBC
The Electoral Commission, which oversees elections in the UK, has said delays to council elections in England risk "damaging public confidence" and it did not think "capacity constraints are a legitimate reason for delaying long-planned elections".
29 mainly Labour lead seats and up to 4M people that won't have a voice in 2026, sounds a bit dodgy to me, has this happened before on this scale?
Getting criticism from all sides, from Lib Dems to Reform.
I can only imagine the outrage/headlines if the righties were in charge and let's say, they were a deeply unpopular, unwater government, two years into their term and delayed elections in a swathe of councils last contested when they were polling high as the opposition?
What's the rationale for this?
Happy to be enlightened if its just a pretty standard delay for reorganization that happens every now and then but I don't think that's the case. Reading the statement from the Electoral Commission, it certainly seems to reinforce that line of thought.
I'm getting Pompey frozen pitch vibes! |  |
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 13:49 - Jan 24 with 635 views | brazil1982 |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 11:01 - Jan 24 by ElderGrizzly |
It’s almost like Farage has lied about something again |
If this was under Reform, there would be calls of fasicism on here. |  | | |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 14:02 - Jan 24 with 598 views | Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 11:01 - Jan 24 by ElderGrizzly |
It’s almost like Farage has lied about something again |
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey claimed Labour was "running scared of the electorate" and "denying millions of people a voice at May's local elections". | |
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 14:06 - Jan 24 with 597 views | Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 09:19 - Jan 23 by Herbivore |
I guess it's not been discussed much because the politically minded on here know and understand the reasons and can see there is a reasonable rationale for it, even if there are arguments on both sides. They aren't being cancelled for no reason. |
Ah that must be it! How clued up and well informed you are. Even though the independent body of the Electoral Commission seem to disagree. | |
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 14:21 - Jan 24 with 565 views | StokieBlue |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 10:55 - Jan 24 by Benters |
Righto! Two Tier knows Labour will get hammered that’s why he keeps postponing the elections. |
So to be clear, you want the government to spend money on elections that will be pointless very quickly afterwards?
I thought you believed the country was short of money and that was one rationale for lowering immigration?
Doesn't seem like you have a very internally consistent position to me.
SB [Post edited 24 Jan 14:22]
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 14:38 - Jan 24 with 539 views | Benters |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 14:06 - Jan 24 by Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
Ah that must be it! How clued up and well informed you are. Even though the independent body of the Electoral Commission seem to disagree. |
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 06:03 - Jan 25 with 454 views | Benters |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 13:49 - Jan 24 by brazil1982 |
If this was under Reform, there would be calls of fasicism on here. |
Spot on but its Labour so all is great or something. | |
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 09:23 - Jan 25 with 407 views | DJR |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 12:39 - Jan 24 by Texaco73 |
Shadow councils will be formed as part of the transition.
The decision to decide the shape of the new unitary or unitaries (as there are competing models) for Suffolk will not decided until late March.
It does not give enough time to organise an election in May based on the shape of what the new unitary council(s) will become.
Therefore, wasting £1/2 million on an election under the current governmental structure would be criminally wasteful and that money is better spent providing services.
This paper examines election costs.
https://taxpayersalliance.com/ |
I don't think you can put a price on democracy, and surely you are not suggesting that those councils which have decided to go ahead with elections are acting criminally in the way you suggest?
My understanding is that elections in Suffolk had already been delayed by a year, and I do wonder if part of the problem is that the government is trying to rush through extensive and very complicated changes to local government, which I assume will themselves only add to the costs of local government in the sense of the need to prepare for the new system. And this at a time when local government finances are stretched.. Indeed, I am not wholly convinced that in the long run the changes will save anything.
I hadn't really looked closely at what is going on before now, but in Kent where I live there is little consensus between the various councils and different areas as to the form the changes should take. Indeed, five different proposals have been forwarded to the Secretary of State, and how he is expected to make the right choice in such a short space of time (when having to make many similar decisions in relation to different areas) is beyond me.
https://www.canterburysociety.
All of these proposals involve the swallowing up of what seems to me to the the perfectly rational existing unitary authority for Medway. In addition, they involve the creation of much bigger local authorities, for areas which could be said to have little in common, the result of which it seems to me will dilute local accountability. And in the case of, say, education, this will be split four ways, rather than being county-wide, which seems to me to only add to the bureaucracy. [Post edited 25 Jan 9:27]
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 09:39 - Jan 25 with 389 views | iamatractorboy |
Speaking from experience, and albeit this is anecdotal, but I'd be surprised if long-term there are any real monetary savings, or better value outcomes. What tends to happen is, loads of jobs are cut, at a hefty one-off cost, and then a little way down the line the powers that be realise that 'hmmm, we need someone to do X' and then they either create a job they had before, or get expensive 'consultants' in to do what someone did for half the price previously. The 'economies of scale' argument tends to be undercut by creating new work or systems/processes becoming more complicated and you end up needing a sum total of resources just as big as previously. The only real way to cut costs long term will be to stop discretionary services and that always goes down like a lead balloon with people who want the same service but don't want to pay more council tax despite inflationary factors and reduced central government support.
As to the original question, I see the logic in not going through an election process if you'd just have to go through it again a year or two later, but I also understand an unease about it. Hand on heart I would say the same thing regardless of who was in government (you can choose to believe that or not). [Post edited 25 Jan 9:54]
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 09:53 - Jan 25 with 377 views | DJR |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 14:06 - Jan 24 by Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
Ah that must be it! How clued up and well informed you are. Even though the independent body of the Electoral Commission seem to disagree. |
Here's the whole statement from the Electoral Commission at the time of the announcement. I don't think it can be dismissed lightly.
"We note the Government statement in Parliament on 18 December inviting Councils to raise capacity concerns and seek to postpone elections in May 2026.
"We are disappointed by both the timing and substance of the statement. Scheduled elections should as a rule go ahead as planned, and only be postponed in exceptional circumstances. We are concerned by the possibility of some council elections in May being postponed, and even more by any further postponement to those which already had been deferred from 2025.
Decisions on any postponements will not be taken until mid-January, less than three months before the scheduled May 2026 elections are due to begin. This uncertainty is unprecedented and will not help campaigners and administrators who need time to prepare for their important roles. We very much recognise the pressures on local government, but these late changes do not help administrators. Parties and candidates have already been preparing for some time, and will be understandably concerned.
"As a matter of principle, we do not think that capacity constraints are a legitimate reason for delaying long planned elections. Extending existing mandates risks affecting the legitimacy of local decision making and damaging public confidence. There is a clear conflict of interest in asking existing Councils to decide how long it will be before they are answerable to voters.
"Voters must have a say on those that represent them at local government. We will work with the UK Government on these plans so that we can support voters, campaigners, parties and administrators who have been preparing for these elections."
The Labour chair of the local government committee also criticised the timing of the announcement because it was sneaked out just before Christmas. [Post edited 25 Jan 9:55]
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 10:00 - Jan 25 with 370 views | Pinewoodblue |
The question surely has to be “ are unitary authorities more efficient than those in areas with two tier councils?”
This consultation period that leads to those making the final decision ending up with a choice to make is absurd. I doubt very much we will end up with anything other than what those making the final decision wanted in the first place. |  |
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 10:51 - Jan 25 with 344 views | reusersfreekicks |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 14:06 - Jan 24 by Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
Ah that must be it! How clued up and well informed you are. Even though the independent body of the Electoral Commission seem to disagree. |
Yup and what with Starmer sending hooligans and exrltremists to march on Parliament, ringing election officials to find votes for his party, withholding money from opposition held areas and sending in armed vigilantes to execute people.
Oh wait no that's your man in America.
Again do you still support him?
Did you vote for him?
Do you regret voting for him? |  | | |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 18:01 - Jan 26 with 273 views | flykickingbybgunn |
My council in Norfolk cancelled elections last year and again this year. The reorganisation is not expected to be completed until 2028 at the earliest if not '29.
I remember the reorganisation in 1974 created nothing but chaos, inefficiency and extra expense.
So perhaps the savings from cancelling democracy for four years can fund this pointless reorganisation. |  | | |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 19:16 - Jan 26 with 244 views | flykickingbybgunn |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 18:01 - Jan 26 by flykickingbybgunn |
My council in Norfolk cancelled elections last year and again this year. The reorganisation is not expected to be completed until 2028 at the earliest if not '29.
I remember the reorganisation in 1974 created nothing but chaos, inefficiency and extra expense.
So perhaps the savings from cancelling democracy for four years can fund this pointless reorganisation. |
What you get with Local Govt reorgaisation is that all the top bosses take redundancy and early retirement at vast expence.
The current middle managers take their place at extra cost because they may have to move. The layer that actually does stuff is moved up or out.
The lower layers stay the same but with less work (because there is nobody above them any more pushing).
Been there, seen it, got the T-Shirt.
Took us 10 years to recover. | | | |
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